Last week, while teaching Sustainable Leadership to a group of CEOs from leading technology companies, I asked them: “What’s the biggest challenge you and your teams face?”
Their response was unanimous: OVERWHELM.
Overwhelm isn’t just the feeling of being busy. It’s a state where the brain’s executive functions—responsible, among other things, for creativity, big-picture thinking, decision-making, and focus—become overburdened. Leaders often grapple with this due to the sheer demands of their roles, but with this group, one cause stood out…

Last week, Facebook sent me one of those “memory” photos—three joyful moments with my family. Curiously, in each one, I’m sporting a fake beard. Two of the photos were from costume parties where I served as a host and facilitator (could you guess what I dressed up as?), and the third captured me as the ONLY parent willing to volunteer to dress up as Santa Claus for my kids’ school party. Looking at those beaming faces, I felt a surge of bliss. But then a thought struck me. Was I really happy in those moments?

Last week, I had the opportunity to speak with a group of senior executives from a large multinational company. As we settled into the conversation, I kicked things off with a simple question: “How are you all doing today?” Their answer really made me stop and think…

As Amelia, a Vice Chairman in a large multinational organization, walked into the meeting room filled with 35 Exco members and SVPs she was a bit nervous. After all, only last year these people were all her peers, and most of them have been in the organization longer than she had. She sat down, took a sip from her tall cup of water, and observed the faces of her friends and colleagues. She was unsure if they were ready to hear what she was about to say, but it was high time they did.

Last month as I was skiing with my kids in the French Alps, I fell and broke my collarbone. It was a shocking experience (yes, sigh…pun intended).

As a volunteer paramedic, I spent many a day rescuing others from difficult situations, and on the snow, I am that person who stops to help anyone who falls. Yet suddenly I found myself on the side of the injured.

As I was whisked off to the hospital the X-ray results were conclusive: I would need to be operated on and have a titanium-grade support plate installed before I could begin to heal. Although this was by no means a fun experience, it did bring its share of learnings.

Here are six lessons I learned from needing titanium-grade support…

In the United States’ Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson wrote:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal…with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness”.
But was Thomas Jefferson correct? Should we pursue happiness or meaning?
What does research have to say about the wellbeing and health consequences of each choice?
And most importantly, how can we ‘have it all’ in a post-Covid world?